Door frame

ABSTRACT

A METAL FRAME FOR A DOOR OPENING HAVING STILES EXTENDING UPWARDLY ALONG THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE DOOR OPENING AND A HEADER EXTENDING ACROSS THE TOP OF THE DOOR OPENING. AT LEAST ONE OF THE STILES HAS AN ADJUSTING MECHANISM IN THE UPPER END PORTION THEREOF TO REACT AGAINST THE RESPECTIVE SIDE OF THE WALL OPENING AND ADJUST THE POSITION OF THE RESPECTIVE STILE AND THE HEADER TO PROVIDE THE DESIRED SIZE OF RESULTING DOOR OPENING. THE ADJUSTING MECHANISM IS CONSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE A FORCE ON THE RESPECTIVE STILE WHICH IS SPREAD OVER AN APPRICIABLE AREA OF THE STILE TO PREVENT DISTORTION OF THE STILE WHEN THE ADJUSTING MECHANISM IS OPERATED. THE UPPER ENDS OF THE STILES ARE FIRMLY SECURED TO THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE HEADER TO MAINTAIN THE HEADER IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE STILES DURING ASSEMBLY AND ADJUSTMENT OF THE DOOR FRAME.

March 16, 1971 o. D. WILLIAMS 3,570,203

noon FRAME Filed April 29, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet a 4 62 62 1 k g u ,56 1 i 54 4@ //V VE/VTOR 78 021/44 0. W/LL/AMS ,4 TTOPA/E'YS United States Patent Oifice 3,570,203 DOOR FRAME Orval D. Williams, P.O. Box 94010, Oklahoma City, Okla. 73109 Filed Apr. 29, 1969, Ser. No. 820,157 Int. Cl. E06b 1/19 US. Cl. 52-217 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A metal frame for a door opening having stiles extending upwardly along the opposite sides of the door opening and a header extending across the top of the door opening. At least one of the stiles has an adjusting mechanism in the upper end portion thereof to react against the respective side of the wall opening and adjust the position of the respective stile and the header to provide the desired size of resulting door opening. The adjusting mechanism is constructed to provide a force on the respective stile which is spread over an appreciable area of the stile to prevent distortion of the stile when the adjusting mechanism is operated. The upper ends of the stiles are firmly secured to the opposite ends of the header to maintain the header in vertical alignment with the stiles during assembly and adjustment of the door frame.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention This invention relates to improvements in metal frames for door openings.

(2) Description of the prior art Metal door frames, particularly for use in commercial buildings, have become popular in recent years. Such door frames characteristically include a stile extending vertically along each side of the door opening and a header along the top of the door opening connected to the upper ends of the stiles. One of the primary problems involved with such door frames is the proper positioning of the stiles and header during assembly of the door frame to provide the desired size and geometry for the resulting framed, door opening, whereby a door may be hung on the frame and operate satisfactorily. A similar problem exists in the event the building settles to such a degree that the stiles are removed from their vertical positions and the header is moved from a truly horizontal position.

A widely used approach to a solution of the above problems is illustrated in US. Pat. No. 2,835,933. In this type of construction, the lower end portions of the stiles are secured to the adjacent walls by mailing or bolting in such a manner that the stiles may be pivoted in the plane of the door opening, and the upper ends of the stiles are mitered to mate with corresponding miters on the opposite ends of the header. An adjusting mechanism is provided in the upper end portion of each stile to force the upper ends of the stiles inwardly with respect to the door opening and bring the stiles to nearly vertical positions, while simultaneously adjusting the position of the header. This type of structure works very well if no appreciable force is required for urging the upper ends of the stiles inwardly with respect to the door opening. However, the construction of the adjusting mechanisms heretofore employed results in a concentration of the moving force being applied to a limited area of the stop portion of the respective stile, and if an unexpected amount of force is required, the stile is distorted, resulting in a building of the door or defacement of the stile, or both. Further, previous adjustable type metal door frames have included insufficient interconnection of the header to the upper ends 3,570,203 Patented Mar. 16, 1971 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one aspect, the present invention contemplates a metal frame for a door opening in a wall which comprises a header extending along the top of the door opening and a stile extending upwardly along each side of the door opening to the respective end of the header. Each of the stiles has spaced side flanges overlapping and frictionally engaging the opposite faces of the wall adjacent the respective side of the opening, a web interconnecting the side flanges, and a door stop formed in the central portion of the web extending throughout the length of the respective stile. An adjusting mechanism is provided in at least one of the stiles for adjusting the position of the respective stile with respect to the respective side of the door opening. The adjusting mechanism comprises a force plate secured to the web on opposite sides of the respective door stop on the face of the web facing the respective side of the door opening and having a threaded aperture therein aligned with the door stop. A bolt is threaded into the threaded aperture of the force plate and a foot plate is provided on the end of the bolt adjacent the respective side of the door opening to engage the wall when the bolt is turned in one direction and force the stile inwardly with respect to the door opening by the application of force to the web on opposite sides of the door stop. Access to the bolt is obtained through an aperture formed in the door stop.

In another aspect the present invention contemplates a metal frame for a door opening in a wall comprising a header extending along the top of the door opening having spaced side flanges overlapping and frictionally engaging the opposite sides of the Wall, as Well as a web interconnecting the side flanges. A stile extends along each side of the door opening having spaced side flanges overlapping and frictionally engaging the opposite sides of the wall and a web interconnecting the side flanges. Each of the stile side flanges is shaped to provide a groove therein facing the opposite stile at the upper end of the respective stile. The opposite ends of the side flanges of the header and the upper ends of the side flanges of the stiles are matingly mitered downwardly and inwardly with respect to the door opening, such that the header will be adjusted upon adjustment of the stiles. And, a connector is provided on each end of the header of a size to be wedged into at least one of the grooves at the upper end of each stile to retain the header vertically aligned with the stiles.

An object of the invention is to provide means for adjusting the stiles of a metal door frame without distorting or defacing the stiles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a metal door frame wherein the header will be positively vertically aligned with the stiles when the door frame is assembled and adjusted for receiving a door.

A further object of the invention is to provide a metal door frame which may be economically manufactured, easily installed to provide an accurately shaped door opening, and which will provide a long lasting, pleasing appearance.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be evident from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is an elevational View of the upper portion of a door frame constructed in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view as taken along lines 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the upper end portion of a typical stile looking toward the door opening.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view as taken along lines 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of a typical adjusting mechanism as viewed on the side thereof opposite to the illustration in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a top view of a typical adjusting mechanism.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the upper end portion of one stile and one end portion of the header.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view as taken along lines 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the interconnection of the upper end of one stile and one end of the header.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings in detail, and particularly FIG. 1, reference character 10 generally designates a door frame constructed in accordance with this invention and basically comprising a pair of stiles 12 and a header 14. The stiles 12 extend along the opposite sides 16, and the header 14 extends along the top 18, of a door opening in a wall 22. One of the stiles 12 has suitable hinges 24 thereon for mating with the hinges of a door (not shown) adapted to fit within the door frame 10.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, each stile 12 comprises a metal member having a pair of spaced side flanges 26 interconnected by a web 28. The free end 30 of each side flange 26 is turned inwardly toward the Wall .22 and then overlapped with respect to the main body portion of the respective flange 26 to provide a vertical groove 32 arranged to face the opposite stile 12 and extending along the length of the respective stile. It may also be noted that the free ends 30 of the side flanges 26 are arranged to overlap and frictionally engage the opposite faces of the wall 22. The central portion 34 of the web portion 28 of each stile 12 is bent inwardly with respect to the door opening 20 into a generally rectangular cross-sectional configuration to form a door stop in the usual fashion of metal door frames.

Each stile 12 extends from the lower end (not shown) of the door opening 20 to essentially the top 18 of the door opening to fully cover the respective side 16 of the door opening. The lower end (not shown) of each stile 12 is suitably secured to the opposite sides of the wall 22 in a conventional manner, such that the stiles may be pivoted to a fairly limited extent in the vertical plane of the door opening 20. A typical method of attachment of the lower ends of metal stiles to walls around a door opening is illustrated in U .8. Pat. No. 2,835,933 previously mentioned.

The upper end 36 of each web 28 of each style 12, including the respective door stop portion 34, is cut horizontally, and the upper end 38 of each respective side flange 26 is mitered in a direction to extend downwardly and inwardly with respect to the door opening 20, for purposes to be described. It may also be observed in FIGS. 3 and 4 that a pair of tabs 40 are formed on the upper end of each stile web 28 on opposite sides of the door stop portion 34 for interconnection with the header 14 as will be described.

An adjusting mechanism, generally designated by reference character 42, is provided in the upper end portion of each stile 12 for plumbing the stiles. An adjusting mechanism 42 is illustrated in FIGS. 2 through '6 and includes a rectangularly shaped force plate 44 secured to the face of the respective web 28 facing the respective side 16 of the door opening. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the force plate 44 is of a horizontal length to span the respective door stop portion 34 and is secured to the web 28 in any desired manner, such as by spot welding as indicated by the X-marks in FIG. 3. A threaded bolt 46 is threaded into a mating, threaded aperture 48 formed in the central portion of the force plate 44 in alignment with the center of the door stop portion 34 of the respective stile 12. The bolt 46 is preferably an allen head type of bolt and access to the bolt is obtained by means of an aperture 50 (FIG. 4) formed in the respective stop portion 34, such that the bolt 46 may be turned by a person standing in the door opening 20. A U-shaped plate 52 (FIG. 6) has its legs 54 extending through mating slots 56 in the force plate 44, and the bight portion 58 of the U-shaped plate 52 extends over the end 60 of the bolt 46 adjacent the respective side 16 of the door opening. The free ends 62 of the legs 54 project into the space provided by the respective door stop portion 34 and are bent to engage the force plate 44 and limit the movement of the U-shaped plate 52 toward the respective side 16 at the door opening. Also, a foot plate 64 is preferably secured over the bight portion 58 of the U-shaped plate 52 to engage the respective side 16 of the door opening and distribute the force applied to the wall 22 when the {mechanism 42 is adjusted, as will be further described be- As shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, the header 14 has the same cross-sectional configuration and size as the stiles 12, such that the free ends 30 of the side flanges 26 of the header will overlap and frictionally engage the opposite sides of the wall 22 along the top 18 of the door opening 20, and the door stop portion 34 of the header 14 will extend horizontally to be engaged by the upper edge of a door hung in the frame. Each end 66 of the stop portion 34 of the header 14 is cut away to about the stop portion 34 of the upper end of the respective stile 12, and each end 68 of the web 28 of the header 14 on opposite sides of the respective stop portion 34 is shaped to extend intoengagement with the mating portions of the respective stile 12, such that the tabs 40 of the respective stile may be bent over the top of the end portions 68 of the web 28 and limit the vertical upward movement of the header 14 during assembly, as will be described. A connector 70 in the form of a bent plate is secured to each end of each side flange 26 of the header 14. Each connector 70 may be welded or otherwise suitably secured to the respective side flange 26 and extends from the respective groove 32 downwardly a distance slightly less than the vertical height of the respective side flange. The free end 72 of each connector 70 is shaped and sized to be wedged into the groove 32 of the mating side flange 26 of the respective stile 12. It will thus be seen that the connectors 70 will engage the inner faces of the side flanges 26 of the stiles 12 and maintain the header 14 in precise vertical alignment with the stiles 12. It will also be observed in FIG. 7 that each end 74 of each side flange 26 of the header 14 is mitered downwardly and inwardly with respect to the door opening 20 to mate with the upper end 38 of the side flange 26 of the respective stile 12.

OPERATION To install the door frame 10', the bolts 46 are retracted into the stop portions 34 of the stiles 12 and the tabs 40 are bent at substantially as shown in FIG. '9. The frame is then installed rather loosely in the door opening 20' with the tabs 40 above the web 28 of the header 14 and with the connectors 70 at least partially inserted in the grooves 32 of the stiles 12. The lower ends of the stiles 12 are then secured to the wall 22 in a manner to allow the upper ends of the stiles to be moved in and out with respect to the door opening, but in the plane of the door opening.

The adjusting mechanisms 42 are then operated to force the upper ends of the stiles 20 toward the oppo site ends of the header 14 to firmly interlock the connectors 70 in the grooves 32 of the stiles and wedge the header 14 upwardly to make a firm engagement =between the tabs 40 and the web 28 of the header 14. At this time, the mitered upper ends 38 of the stiles and the mitered ends 74 of the header 14 will be in full engagement as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 9.

Each adjusting mechanism 42 is operated by inserting an allen wrench through the aperture 50 in the respectlve stop portion 34 of the stile 12 and turning the bolt 46 to move the bolt 46 toward the respective side 16 of the door opening. When the foot plate 64 engages the respective side 16 of the door opening, further turning of the respective bolt 46 will provide a reaction force on the web 28 of the respective stile to urge the upper end portion of the respective stile inwardly in the door opening. An important feature of this invention is that this reaction force is distributed over a wide area of the web 28 of the respective stile to minimize the possibility of distortion of the stile. The bolts 46 are turned until the stiles 12 are plumbed with respect to the header 14, such that the stiles 12 extend at right angles to the header 14 to provide a precisely rectangular opening for receiving the door to be hung on the hinges 24. It may also be noted that in the event the building wall 22 settles, the adjusting mechanisms 42 may again be adjusted to replumb the stiles 12 and square up the door opening to prevent a door hanging on the hinges 24 from becoming bound.

In the installation of the frame it is also possible to operate the adjusting mechanisms 42 and interlock the upper ends of the stiles with the opposite ends of the header prior to the securing of the lower ends of the stiles to the wall, but it is preferred to secure the lower ends of the stiles to the wall before operating the adjusting mechanisms 42. From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides a metal door frame which can be easily adjusted without distortion of the stiles, and the. header will be firmly interlocked with the stiles in precise vertical alignment with the stiles. It is also apparent that the present door frame construction is simple, may be economically manufactured, and will have a long service life.

Changes may be made in the combination or arrangement of parts or elements as heretofore set forth in the specification and shown in the drawing without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A metal frame for a door opening in a wall comprising:

a header extending along the top of the door opening;

a stile extending upwardly along each side of the door opening to the respective end of the header;

each of said stiles having:

spaced side flanges overlapping and frictionally engaging the opposite faces of the wall adjacent the respective side of the door opening; a web interconnecting the side flanges, and a door stop formed in the central portion of the web extending throughout the length of the respective stile;

an adjusting mechanism in at least one of the stiles for adjusting the position of the respective stile with respect to the respective side of the door opening,

comprising:

a force plate secured to the web on opposite sides of the respective door stop on the face of the web facing the respective side of the door opening and having a threaded aperture therein aligned with the door stop;

a bolt threaded into said threaded aperture;

means forming an aperture in the respective door stop providing access to the bolt from the door opening; and

a foot plate on the end of the bolt adjacent the respective side of the door opening to engage the wall when the bolt is turned in one direction and force the stile inwardly with respect to the door opening by the application of force to the web on opposite sides of the door stop.

2. A frame as defined in claim 1 wherein said adjusting mechanism further comprises:

a U-shaped plate having its leg portions extending through slots in the force plate on opposite sides of the bolt into the door stop and having the bight portion thereof extending over the end of the bolt facing the wall and supporting the foot plate thereon; and

means on the ends of the legs of the U-shaped plate within the door stop adapted to engage the force plate and limit the movement of the bolt toward the wall.

3. A frame as defined in claim 1 wherein the adjusting mechanism is positioned near the upper end of the respective stile.

4. A frame as defined in claim 1 wherein an adjusting mechanism is provided in each stile adjacent the upper end thereof.

5. A frame as defined in claim 1 wherein the side flanges at the upper end of each stile are mitered downwardly and inwardly with respect to the door opening:

the header includes side flanges overlapping and frictionally engaging the opposite sides of the wall at the top of the door opening mitered at the opposite ends in mating relation to the upper ends of the side flanges of the stiles, and a web interconnecting the header side flanges; and

a tab on the upper end of the web of each stile overlapping the web of the header to limit upward movement of the header when one of the stiles is adjusted into the door opening by the respective adjusting mechanism.

6. A frame as defined in claim 5 wherein the free end of each side flange of each stile is turned inwardly toward the respective side of the wall and then along the wall to form a groove facing the opposite stile; and a connector on each end of each side flange of the header of a size to be wedged into the groove of the respective stile side flange when the header and stiles are assembled to hold the header in vertical alignment with the stiles.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,835,933 5/1958 Evans 52211 3,222,833 12/1965 Woodrum 52-211 3,239,978 3/1966 Parker 52217X 3,250,049 5/ 1966 Sklar 52211 3,469,360 9/1969 Peterson et al. 52-217 FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner S. D. BURKE, Assistant Examiner 

